Trouble in the MooT

Here a spy, there a spie ....

5

MAR/17

Hironeous Stock, the wealthy farmer was dead, his throat slit. His murderer had apparently escaped on horseback crossing the river at Flagg Ford. Strange how there was no pool of blood from the wound … unless he was killed elsewhere. The loss of yet another life in this town bothered them as they returned to town. Why had Ovilar killed Sty Lum and Hironeous Stock? What had they done? Who was the skeletal Halfling in the hidey hole? Why had Geddragg arranged their bodies at the table staring at each other???

As they approached town, the townsfolk gathered to see them. Most had never seen Kinstaag in his Dwarven chain shirt. None had seen Geddragg, Mitiliago or Gozbert in their newly acquired scale armor (from the Dwarf skeletons) The people kept asking questions, the adventurers kept walking toward the constable’s office. Merrybell Potsen asked what was going on and Natina asked her to get the Council of Elders together. There should be a meeting to tell ALL the elders the news.

When they arrived, Tilivan Nok, the witch hunter, said that he must depart immediately for Averheim and Nuln to report the Necromancer that had been discovered … and escaped. Kinstaag Grimmhammer said that he too must inform his kin of the necromancer <spit>. and would be leaving on the morrow. Natina and Salvil walked to the Stock pipeweed farm to notify any kin of the death of Hironeous … and to possibly further investigate his death.

As Natina and Gozbert knocked at the farm door, a female Halfling answered the door, along with her two teenage boys. Natina said that there was some bad news, so Mrs. Stock sent the boys away and let Natina in to talk. Mrs. Stock was shocked at the news and it appeared to be honest sorrow, although just occasionally Natina thought the wife was a little relieved. Gozbert and one of the boys was going to look for a possible location of the murder when the boy said he had seen a pool of red … and led Gozbert to it. Yep, this was the spot.
Back at the house, the Widow Stock shouted to the boys to get the dog cart ready. She had to go into town and pick up something. Knowing the body of her husband was beneath the stone, Natina and Gozbert rushed back to town to arrange things.

The rest put the dead bandit in the back of Kinstaag’s wagon and headed to the cemetery to burry the bandit and get Mr. Stock out of the hole before his wife got there. It would do no good for the townfolk to know about the hole. After some crafty juggling and misdirecting of town folk that had followed, They got Hironeous out of the hole and ready to be picked up just as the wife and Natina arrived. Natina hated this town of lies and secrets and couldn’t wait to be out of there. The rest were ready to move on also. Maybe they could accompany Kinstaag in his trek down toward Black Fire Pass.
At the town meeting, the elders were told about all the goings on (but not about the two secret places) with Ovilar and the Necromancer and the connection to the bandits. They also said they would be leaving with Kinstaag in the morning to head “south”. The next day they were on the road again. (The second night they ran into a couple of mountain lions, but survived quite well.)